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In La Rioja, Argentina, on the western side of Sierra de Velasco in the Pre-Andes region, PROMAS produces the natural juice of cultivated and carefully selected olives. The dry climate, with long warm summers and mild winters, as well as the loose deep soils make the traditional olive tree growing possible in the region. The combination of favorable climate, the proper use of land, and the respect for the environment, allow PROMAS to obtain a harmful waste-free production.
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The Olive Grove
PROMAS olive grove covers a total area of 1,603 hectares, with 444,338 trees.
The main varieties grown are Arbequina, Manzanilla Fina, Barnea, Coratina, Changlot Real, and Farga.
Activities at the Plantation
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Harvest: It is made by hand and mechanically. By-hand harvest, which is also |
known in Spanish as “ordeño” (milking), is the best way of harvesting fruit for canning and table olive production. This method is also used for harvesting olives which will be used in the production of oil. From the ground or a ladder, the worker slides a plastic rake or his hands along the branches full of fruit, letting the olives fall down to the ground, on pieces of fabric or plastic nets which are previously spread out under the trees.
The harvested olives are put into plastic boxes which have a capacity of 20 kilograms each. Then, these boxes are placed in trailers especially designed to prevent the fruit from being pressed by more than 1 meter of loading. By means of this, the fruit oxidation process is not speeded up and olives arrive at the factory in the best condition possible. Oil quality depends on raw material quality. For this reason, it is a priority that the period between harvesting and grinding does not exceed 24 hours.
PROMAS has been developing its mechanical harvesting method since 2003.
The olive harvesting machine used is a continuous line-based system, under which every tree goes through. It has two brushes which act as if they were the harvester's fingers. The fruit is then placed in plastic bins. This harvesting method is undergoing an adaptation period: the trees are currently being adapted. Year after year, PROMAS aims at improving the harvesting method so as to make the mechanical harvest more efficient.
The harvest is the end of all the activities done at the plantation during the year, such as irrigation, fertilization, weeding, and pruning.
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Seedlings:They should be healthy and vigorous, and they must come from |
certified nurseries with vast experience.
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Irrigation and Fertilization-Irrigation: The irrigation water is underground |
water that is extracted by means of electrosubmergible pumps. The irrigation water and the fertilizer are combined, and they go through a filtering system, which filters solid particles in order to prevent obstructions when they go through the droppers. This technique is known in Spanish as "fertirriego" (a combination of the words "fertilizante" [fertilizer] and "riego" [irrigation]).
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Tree Health: It begins with plague monitoring; then the right agrochemical must |
be chosen. The existing plagues in the plantation are ants, cochineal insects, and eriophyids. Cochineal insects suck up the plant sap; they excrete a sugary fluid which, combined with fungi known as sooty mold, covers the plant tissues, preventing the plant from undergoing the process of photosynthesis in ideal conditions. Eriophyids are extremely small mites which can be seen using a very powerful magnifying glass. These insects move slowly, though their movements are active, and are associated with leaf and fruit deformation (galls).
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Weeding:This process is chemical and mechanical. Chemical weeding is |
performed in the row of olive trees and herbicides are used in no more than 1/3 of the area being treated. Mechanical weeding is performed on an inter-row basis, and it is done by means of a weed cutter like the ones used for weeding roadsides. Controlling weeds is fundamental since they host pathogens and compete with the olive tree for water and nutrients.
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Pruning: It is necessary if the aim is to keep a balance between vegetative and |
reproductive functions, so as to make maximum production and full vitality compatible, shortening the unproductive period in young plantations, lengthening the productive period, and delaying the tree decay, maturity, and death.
A proper management of the plantation, which goes from seedlings, irrigation, and fertilization, to weeding control and pruning, is crucial when manufacturing a quality product.
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